HTC One's Camera - How do UltraPixels stack up against the latest Windows Phone?

HTC unveiled it's latest Android device, the HTC One, today with a lot of the hype centered around the device's camera. HTC billed the camera as being a new experience for smartphones, likely in response to the attention Nokia has received from the innovative Pureview camera on the Lumia 920 Windows Phone.

How do the specs shake out? It may surprise many but the HTC One is fitted with a 4MP camera that has a dedicated next gen image chip and f/2.0 lens. Yes... "just" 4 megapixels.

But wait, there's more!

So you're now saying, "How can a 4MP sensor match the 8.7MP sensor of the Lumia 920 or the 8MP of the HTC 8X?".

The smaller megapixel count may be able to hold its own because it uses larger pixels. The One's sensor uses larger 2 micron pixels compared to the Lumia 920's 1.4 micron pixels. HTC has labeled this as 'UltraPixels' and it is capable of capturing 313% more light than smaller pixeled sensors. We aren't sure about the 313% figure but larger pixels should grab more light and have less noise at higher ISO levels.

Other features on the HTC One includes:

BSI Sensor for low light performance

Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) akin to the Lumia 920

Dedicated HTC Image Chip 2

Smart Flash - 5 levels of flash automatically set by distance to subject

Front camera with 88 degree wide angle lens, HDR capability

Continuous autofocus greater than 200ms

Realtime video HDR at 60fps~84db

1080p video at 30fps

Still burst at 4-5 frames per second

Slow motion video recording and variable speed playback

Buffered capture cycle

De-noise (noise reduction) processing

Preshutter record.

We're guessing the preshutter record is along the lines of the Blink app on Nokia Windows Phones that captures images before you press the shutter to avoid missing that shot.

So how does the HTC One stack up against the Lumia 920 or even the 8x?

Both the 8X and Lumia 920 have the 8MP sensors and f2.0 lenses. Like the HTC One, the 8X and Lumia 920 have a BSI sensor and it will interesting to see if the larger "UltraPixels" of the One can outperform both of them..

"HTC Zoe gives people the ability to shoot high-res photos that come to life in three-second snippets. These Zoes, photos and videos are then displayed in a unique way that brings the gallery to life and transforms the traditional photo gallery of still images into a motion gallery of memories. It also automatically creates integrated highlight films from each event comprised of Zoes, photos and videos set to music with professionally designed cuts, transitions and effects. These highlight videos can be remixed or set to different themes, and can be easily shared on social networks, email and other services. "

While the technology is interesting on the HTC One, it's hard to look past the 4MP resolution. The HTC One does support 16:9 aspect ration at 2688x1520. The 8X churns out 16:9 images at 3264x1836 and the Lumia 920 offers the 16:9 images at 3552x2000. While I've had experiences with lower resolution cameras shining, it's going to be interesting to see if the One's 4MP can stack up against the 8MP sensors.

When all is said and done, the proof will be in the pudding for the HTC One's camera. The specs on paper look interesting and maybe, just maybe, HTC found a way to put a small resolution, larger pixel sensor into play that can hold it's own. Not going to hold my breath but it'll be interesting to see how the One's camera shakes out.

One thing is for sure, we can bet HTC will eventually port over this technology to Windows Phone. But will it be before or after Nokia has their shot?

You can follow all the news on the HTC One over at AndroidCentral and maybe we can get our hands on an HTC One and do a head to head comparison with these cameras.

Reader comments

HTC One's Camera - How do UltraPixels stack up against the latest Windows Phone?

Obviously I have no idea how the camera on this is going to be, but I personally would have zero problem with a 4MP resolution if it was high quality. I haven't printed a photo in ages, and generally need to downsize images before I share them with people anyway. If it's a high quality 4MP, that would be completely fine with me.

Nokia solved the whole thing a year ago with Phase 1 PV. They showed everybody that you can have a 5 Mpix image that is superior to any 8/12Mpix image. Its smaller in size (1 mb), has very low noise levels, tons of detail, and decent DR.
Overall the HTC system is trying to overcome only one side of the problem, and that is image quality in daylight. The Nokia sytems pretty much solves the whole riddle.. it can truly replace a P&S camera. Proper flash, losless zooming during photo and video.. its a more complete package.
But if the HTC camera is really using 2.0 micron pixels, I expect very good results.. much better than any of the standard 1/3" 1.4 micron sensors

That's like saying Windows Mobile (ie, 6.5) is modern. Symbian's core doesn't even run on a ARMv7 processor, which is to say that it's now outdated by more than three major revisions of ARM (Cortex A15, Cortex A9, Cortex A8 have all been ARMv7 chips).

At least bother to read the freaking article, the camera software and tech is amazing and unlike Blink, it does not suck nor is limited by 1 stupid soc that can't process good pictures.

> Gyroscope-based, multi-axis OIS is available for both the front- and rear-facing cameras

> HTC also throws in an HDR video mode, an expanded photo editing suite, and a new HTC Zoe photo option. The latter captures five frames before you press the shutter, plus another 15 after you do, giving you a set of 20 photos to choose from as well as the ability to create some amateur stop-motion animation. If that's not to your liking, it also records a 3-second video clip alongside the pictures.

Oh, and unlike WP8, they are not limited to stupid 720p when all phones are now 1080p

Why you rush into conclusion? 1080p screen just in market 2-3months. IPhone 5, L920, and GS3 don't have 1080p and are selling well. Even more so than Butterfly or DNA. And One camera and features are HTC exclusive. Don't be a child wanting what everyone have. WP has its unique features. Enjoy it. Appreciate it, because you find them on other OSs. Sit back relax, kiss your Lumia because more stuff is coming from MS this summer.

Those features are really cool, I'm expecting OIS to start arriving on more phone brands in the coming years. As for the Zoe it's a cool function, but I'm not sure I'd be using it much.
BUT
WP8 HAS 1080p video recording already, there's no such limitation you're talking about.

> Gyroscope-based, multi-axis OIS is available for both the front- and rear-facing cameras

The IOS needs to be part of the camera, I can imagine the "Gyroscope based" just refers to the main gyroscope for the phone, so have they really implemented a seperate floating lens camera for front and back?

That seems a bit excessive for the front, I think its going to be interesting knowing the details of this camera as the broad specs could be misleading.

"Oh, and unlike WP8, they are not limited to stupid 720p when all phones are now 1080p"
Calm down...1 phone is currently in the market that supports 1080p, not all phones... It's not like the next release of Windows Phone won't support it.

1080p screens drains battery fast... 720p is enought whilst on the L920 its resolution is bigger than any ordinary 720p screens... 1080p on a 4-5 inches screen for me is useless.... better have it on a 40+ inch widescreen TV.

What exactly are they copying from Nokia? I think this departure from meagpixels to cameras which focus on quality is a brave move from HTC.
Also the idea of creating gifs from still images is nothing new, there are plenty of Apps on Android and IOS which do the same thing.

Maybe I should rephrase that to "some members of this site", my bad.
It is common knowledge that most topics to do with other OEMs deteriorate into a Nokia circlejerk, just look at some of the gems in this section already.

I agree a LITTLE. HTC has most definitely deserved the crap thrown at it with weak Android update support. They also deserve it for not getting customers apps like Nokia does.

That said, I won't say they deserve it because Android is getting this camera tech first. On one hand ,they made the bed they are lying in with Windows Phone (that being one not NEARLY as well-received as Nokia from customers), but the fact is they are still not selling stuff as well. That, and maybe they WILL bring this tech to MWC or a later release when Windows Phone's 8.1 release is ready. Tough to say, but it's possible. On the other hand, we KNOW that a better phone is coming from Nokia, but we don't know what (if anything) HTC is planning for MWC or the generally-near future for the platform, so they again deserve some consumer complaints.

It's kind of the same issue as the app market stuff with the platform--they aren't bringing their best until they have customers, but they won't have customers until they bring their best.

Bitch please... Do I really have to repeat that a huge chunk of Windows Phone fans are actually converted-from-Symbian NOKIA fans? HTC is good but it doesn't cut it. And of course people here are going to stick with Nokia since it's the only company that's 100% commited to WP. There you have Samsung and HTC prioritizing Crapdroid over WP. You don't see Nokia doing that, as a matter of fact Nokia ditched their OWN operating system for Windows Phone.

Why do people give Daniel such harsh feedback, when people are essentially calling him a biased hack? He tells it like it is and I don't think he is biased at all nor is he rude, he just doesn't like being insulted, just like many of us if not all of us here.

People appreciate Daniel, but he needs a lesson in the the art of "Its not what you say, Its how you say it". Lol. But hey, some people just let their passion flow and turn their filters off and that's his right. If you understand its just a comment chain filled with all manor of preference and fanboy love from all sides, it all becomes quite comical. Im a big Nokia fan at the moment, but my HTC titan is still probably my favorite windows phone. If only it saw any updates.

have you ever seen an editor over at Verge, Engadget, AllTD or these websites acting like a douche on the comments because some idiot commentor insulted them? No. It's called rising above and it's part of being a writer on major websites. What's the difference between you and the insulting commentor if you respond in the same way? And I'm not the only one who thinks this, a lot of people have point it out before. He might think it's his style or it's cool but it seriously undermines the integrity of the website if your lead writer goes on writing 'GTHO' in the comments. It's incredibly unprofessional and I'm pretty sure he's nearing a breaking point with whoever's incharge of Mobile Nations.

The Verge is my most visited website and I have NEVER EVER seen an editor resort to making the kind of comments in the comments section this guy does on WPCentral. You should check out Crackberry forums where they tore apart the 'editorial' he wrote on BB10 on WPCentral a few weeks back. I absolutely love WPCentral, but it's these things that really ruin the impression.

Stop picking on Daniel. He is unique and we love him for it. When someone is rude to him in an unfair way he responds in an abrupt manner... I don't have a problem with that. Not like he's degenerating into insults or anything.

Oh, Boo! Those other sites just hide their douchieness well...Daniel keeps it real, so if he feels close enough to his audience to engage in some harmless ribbing and YOU don't like it then GTHO LOL I'm jk, but c'mon and lighten up ham sizzle ;)

Exactly. Whilst they don't do it in the comments, they retaliate to harsh comments via other ways. Just follow the editors of these other site's personal Twitter account and you'll see. I don't see anything wrong with that.

Regardless what they say, it shows the WP Central guys actually read the comments. I think this provides a value added discussion experience for the community (Sam gets quite involved in discussions as well). It encourages users to think about what they say and feel as though they have been heard. As a result, the overall value of the site is enhanced thus bringing more people into the community through the powers of the 'network effect'.

actually yes they are just as every bit "douchey" when commenting positively on a product they deem not worthy of praise. Hell, i was at zdnet yesterday on a surface pro review and if you didnt like the product your a paid apple/google shill, and if you did like it your a paid MS shill. People need to grow up and like what they like, use what they wish, and enjoy it. Nobody is putting a gun to anyones head here and saying LIKE THIS. Daniel is reporting news as it comes. Whether you see it as nokia central/WPNOKIA the team is bringing us what is current, and of course they're gonna favor wp when it comes to platforms as this is a wpcentric site. its inconcievable that daniel cannot comment like anyone else here simply because he wrote the article. Just saying.

I'll wait for the eos before i judge. No sense for me comparing this to Nokia 920, when something possibly bigger and better may be on the horizon. If Nokia does not make improvements to the pureview tech in the lumias (which I doubt) then HTC and their camera tech may be something to look at, but I will not do android and I will not do sense. When they bring it to ms' platform then it becomes an option.

I've actually bought point-and-shoots where later generations knocked the MP count down to get clearer and better pictures (Canon Powershot G12 vs G11). Too many MPs can actually harm a pic if the sensor can't handle it properly.

Lol! I really despise HTC - ever since P. Choi's attitude about skinning WP7 back in 2010 (he seemed really miffed that they weren't allowed to put sense on WP), I basically eliminated HTC from ever getting my money. These latest 'break throughs' with adding color to WP devices, and with the camera tech on their Android devices doesn't change my opinion of them; and their treatment of the WP users, and that their current users defend them tooth and nail, is baffling.

But it is a nice looking phone and if they actually updated their software regularly, I'd be interested. Unfortunately, HTC and software update are equivalent to the Hatfield and McCoy's having a birthday party together.

HTC's new Sense UI is akin to WP metro UI philosophy. Take the good stuff and slap it on Android. HTC could do this with WP. Take the their new sense philosophy and make into an app. They could make WP look just that good! But no, their bread and butter is Android. I don't expect HTC to produce outstanding WPs like the One. But who knows. So heres hoping Nokia will have something to blast HTC's One out of the water. Only drawback is screen resolution. So far MS is mum on what's next for WP.

Do people in here knows what copy even means? Some people just like to spew BS. Anyways, it's a good tech and I'm glad the manufacturers are getting away from the #'s and moving more towards quality. Nokia and HTC are stepping towards the right direction with cellphone cameras. Nokia has done a great job so far let's see if HTC can do the same and bring it across all platforms.

I've just seen a hands on video of HTC one its design reminds me iPhone5 and BlackBerry z10
the HTC's so called new innovative UI(sense5) is like copy of windows phone live tiles
I will not comment on their camera tech since they bought some good camera stuff in past

313% is 2.0 micron pixels compared to 1.1 micron pixels (the area of a pixel is 4x bigger). Against 1.4 micron pixels of Lumia 920, it should be then 100% more light per pixel (the area is here only 2x bigger), right? Combined with OIS and f2.0 it indeed sounds good, but I guess the physically bigger sensor of PureView 808 (hopefully in the next WP), combined with f2.0, OIS, and downsampling will be still superior. But let's see. Glad that our phones will have finally great cameras.

If the physical size of the pixels really is 2.0 microns this would provide better image quality than anything else expect the 808. It will be very simialr to the Nokia N8.. just in a much smaller mpix count. The N8 shoots at 1.75 microns.
Can't wait for some samples from the HTC ... especailly in low light.

This must be the pinnacle of Android. But then isn't Android really about plagiarizing, copying and stealing other people's ideas concepts and patents and putting them on a cheap phone and calling it revolutionary? So im not really surprised to see the tech akin to Nokia and the general look to be very Metro inspired.
It does appear however that both HTC and Samsung have to steal ideas in order to produce originality. Eventually, this will be their downfall.

All bias aside, which we all have because we want HTC to care this much about windows phone, this is a nice device. Good job HTC for trying.
Now try harder on the WP8 Side so we can keep Nokia working their :-)ss off to stay two steps ahead.
Apple has to be sitting back thinking, "The rince repeat 6 times strategy might really be up"
Lol

well, good for them. Unfortunately having android os it's a big no-no from me. Too bad as htc touch pro was a great phone for its time and they should have gone from there on with windows....now more than ever since win 8 it's such a promissing os.
still, just the camera is by no means the sole selling point of a device and in the android world there are many big names involved which will not stay put......much easier in the wp8 world where nokia is the sole brand that has a good following.

although I might be considered a fan boy (which I'm not) I think android devices pretty useless in the long run.

Truth be told I'm just waiting to see if the camera lives up to the hype. If it does, this might be the phone to make me switch to Android. The features are simply amazing and probably ones we won't see in Windows Phone for a while. Slow motion? Live highlight reels of pictures in the gallery. Killer specs and most importantly the Android ecosystem which will always be one of the best. I won't have to wait for an Instagram or ESPNWatch app, AND I can stay on T-Mobile and enjoy one of the latest and greatest. This just might be the phone IF the camera is worthy to dethrone the Lumia 920 or whatever Nokia has up it's sleeve next week. Still I will be interested in availability of Nokia next creation. The HTC One looks promising.

I know phones don't make the ecosystem that's why I said Android ecosystem. The HTC One is an Android phone thus having access to the tons of apps and services that Android phones use. I'm not sure if you've noticed but I haven't used Instagram on my Titan as of late. And I can't watch live ESPN content or rent movies or TV shows(actually I can rent and purchase some movies through HTC Watch) on my Windows Phone either. And we're still waiting on Temple Run when Temple Run 2 will be released pretty soon on Android and iOS not to mention other killer games already available. Look I'm not downing WP and I will always support this OS but I'm not blindly loyal to WP either. We are behind in the app ecosystem and features. The Lumia 920 is the best phone hands down limited only by the up and coming emergence of the OS. I think that's a pretty fair statement.

HTC just came out with that phone. You don't think that they have not already cooked up something that is going to outshine both the HTC One's camera and their own??
I believe that at MWC we will see what Nokia is truly capable of and it is not going to be a repackeging of the 808 Pureview camera.

Yeah I'm sure Nokia will beast out and I'm convinced the HTC One's camera is behind even the 920 but like I said what's the point if they keep bailing the best phone down to AT&T in the states? It'll just be the same old sad story: there goes the sexy phone I'll never get to use. That's getting old. And don't say it's on T-Mobile cause I'm sure Verizon and even Sprint would live to carry a flagship Nokia Windows Phone on their network.

The one thing that I do not like is cheap non aircraft grade Aluminum, makes a case mandatory because you have no grip and it scratches real easy. With a case the HTC One is HUGE! Much larger than a Lumia 920 with a simple case. What I like is the front speakers and the HD display and the fast CPU. The camera... I want to how good it is before I voice an opinion. One feature I likes about the OneXplus in black, was its plastic grippy body, makes the OneX easy to hold and reduces the need for a case that only provides a better hold. My opinion... The One will either sell very well or liquidate HTC... with the Samsung S4 coming soon, I expect the One to not sell well, because most Android users will go Samsung.

The original One X was equal to the SG3 in specs more or less (it had beats on top), but Samsung just out marketed them. This phone looks good in terms of specs, the camera promises something much better which has been a real draw for the 920, but I still expect them to get crushed by Samsung.

When I was in the US last year the advertising for the SG3 and the Note II was wall to wall.

I wonder how well their OIS works. Remember, Nokia's OIS suspends the entire housing, not just the lenses. It will be interesting to compare the two approaches and low light shots. The HDR shots are what im really interested in also. Its cool to take a picture and see the same thing as the human eye. I wonder what EOS has up it's sleeve for HDR.

agreed, i seriously hope nokia differentiates its windows phones with camera options i love being able to play with the settings and take multiple shots of the same thing. it will be interesting and fun to see what is done in that regard.

Very nice device, will have to see if these new features make it over to WP. I love what HTC has done to my 8X and if i see an upcoming WP device that resembles this i will most certainly stay with HTC. Nokia does intrigue me though.
and how about MS starts loosening the restrictions with WP?

HTC is as they have always been a trend follower. They have no innovation but to pick up on other people's ideas and give it their own spin. In that they are much like Apple really, although Apple just buys oter people tech, patents it and then runs with it as if they invented the sh*t.

So far Nokia has shown on more then one occasion they are not afraid to come out with actual new tech and while other will follow they do generally 'have it' first.. And it has been like that for ages. First with full touch, first with a phone heavy on Internet use, first with cameratech in general.

Apple may be good at marketing but Nokia is a true innovator without which the current global phone tech would look a whole lot different.

Nokia is also the _only_ company truly devoted to WP and teh only one who actively, systematically and constantly works on improving and supporting the platform in any way possible. Sure they committed by burning their bridges but at least they show the care and commitment required to make this platform work. IMO WP is the most slick and solid OS in the mobile industry, it's what V2000 was for video with Apple doing Beta and Android doing VHS. Things are moving and changing and HTC is now smartly trying to mix what seems to be good with WP together with what they know of Android.. Not my cup of tea, but they are trying to differentiate themselves just like Nokia does. And IMO for that they should be complemented.. It would be nice if they were not so obvious though..;)

Maybe next someone will invent "UltraProcessors" that only use one massive core to be used strictly in modern smartphones. I'm tired of this over-spec'd talk and just want to see a phone that works without completely drop-dead insane specs on paper, like my 8X or a 620, for example.

PEOPLE PEOPLE the ones that are smacking down nokia because a brand new phone has a (maybe) better camera than a nokia phone that came out last year does.....cool congrats, we can talk when nokia comes out w. their 2013 phone and we will see whos camera is better.... and if this phones camera is so freaking good how come i cant find any pictures online that were taken w. the phone, i was searching for 30 minutes coudlnt find any website w. pictures that were taken w. the htc one

As good as this looks, even though they are copying, I see this being an afterthought when Samsung comes out with their new Galaxy phones. I am not doubting them but they just can't dethrone the kind that Samsung is in the Android ecosystem. They was losing money and was finally started to gain more money since going with Windows Phone and now want to fall deep under water trying to go against Samsung. LOL

I am wondering.. There are two HTC ONE articles on the WP front page. If the purpose is to compare the HTC ONE with Windows Phone 8 hardware, I get that. Could these two articles be combined so as to show only 1 article? I mean you guys may be giving Android Central a run for their money..
And as far as the MegaPixels vs Ultra Pixels. I'll let the reviewers hash that out with Lumia EOS vs HTC One.

So is this actually the foveon style sensor (3x 4.0mp sensors for true rgb pixels)? Or was that all a rumour and they're just going with larger standard pixels instead? Because if it were the former with ois it would blow the 920 away, but the latter would come close but 920 would likely be better still.

Nokia has got a bucket load of patents on their stuff and their bucket is huge! But I think BB Z10 or the iPhone 5 wont sue them for copying the desing of the handset. C'mon it does look a lot similar to the BB Z10 which looks very similar to the iPhone 5!
Nokia Lumia 1000 better have a lot up it's sleeve

HTC is copying everyone. By 'copying' i dont mean taking the technologies others developed and put into their devices (triggering Patent issues). It's more like, oh, you come up with this innovation, good idea. So, i'll put it in my next phone, with my own ways of implementing it. This phone itself is a copy of Blackberry Z10, which is similar to an iPhone 5 to some extent:

4Megapixels is a joke, that would be roughly 2560 X 1600 photos. It's true pixels are not everything, but, 4MP is too small to be of any good use when i want to work on photos on a photoshop on a high res monitor of the same resolution as the photo. Some Macs even have 1800p screens. I need the extra pixels to play with in a photoshop, Photos wont look too 'fake' after post-processing. It's more proper to work on a very high res image first then resize it a bit. One can argue that you can use a DSLR, but my blog's photos come from my phone camera only - i want to prove to my readers that you can do great things even with a phone's camera.

HTC's Peter Chou only has a big mouth, nothing else. He even talked about beating Samsung before, never going to happen when Samsung is a giant that makes every single electronic stuff you can imagine. Aiming for number 2 is already very tough, not to mention beating Samsung.

I just have one question, besides the obvious why would there be two articles on a competitor phone on the site. I took a look on Imore and with the exception of a spec comparison there is very little. Will windows phones users get a phone with these type of features maybe but shouldn't that be discussed in the forums. I don't know but just wondering.
PS, Anyone else noticing the love affair others are having lately with dynamic tiles.